The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1887-04-08

Easter passed. The precious basket, with
its great white egg, was set carefully away
The days went by, bringing war. The sounds Of
| fife and drum, the marching away of regi
ments broke up the steady flow of home life
| all over the land. / was among those who
went only few months after Isasf.a,. -rsss---s
When | babe little Jeanne good-by she
scarcely wept, though she loved me dearly.
"Georgie, DEAR" she said, off you are killed,
| or die, shall not cry, for you know you have
| told me that every one will rise again.
Her simple faith touched my soul To her
| childish mind truth brought with it no
doubts. 1t was all true, beautiful and good.
eyes, Jeanie shall rise again if die, but
| I'll do my best to come home and love you all
| your life"
"Yes, love lasts forever" said the trusting
| little soul, looking into my swimming eyes
with fearless ones. "If You come back you
will love me, aud if you don't come back you
will love me, wherever you are, just the
| same"
"Just the same" u answered, chokingly.
The slow, painful years of the war went
by, and only returned at its closc-returned
to find another grave in the churcllyartl and
little Jeanio missing from tie old home. How
| desoiate it was without her! Because she was
gone everything seemed changed Mother
was sadder and father was gruyor. The dear
cd house lacked its very life
went wes5 to make my fortune, and when
| men begin 70 devote themselves TO wLat they
call making their fortunes" they are apt TO
forget many OF the claims Of Kindred It was
SO with me. l admit it with shame At first
l wrote home with loving alacrity. Then,
little by little, unconsciously, grew careless
and wrote seldom and briefly. meant 10
neglect-heaven forgive mel could not
realize tho Loneliness Of the childless couple in
the Old home. Twas SO busy pushing my own
fortunes that II forgot them for long inter
walls. had intended to go home once q year;
but, after two visits, time slipped away until
twelve years had passed. and had not seen
them. can't understand bow could have
been so blind-how I could have forgotten
them. But personal ambition is an insidious
guest, and crowds out kindred and friends,
giving but poor return for what it takes.
What wouldn't / give to live those twelve
years over againl Had l but this privilege
the opportunities of Angling glad the hearts
of those who loved me best in all the world
should not be neglected Too late did l learn
to distinguish between the dross and the gold
of life.
At last one day there came message. Both
father and mother were sick-dying. Then
in a moment my blind eyes were opened and
| saw-saw my own selflshness, my neglect of
the dearest ties of nature, my mean return for
their unfailing love- With heart bursting
with remorse started to the home l had so
long neglected. 1t was long journey, al
most from the land of the setting sun to that
of its rising, and when got there both hearts
had ceased TO beat; both faces were placid in
death. don't think earth can produce any
greater anguish than was then mine. And l
still suffer over it, and always shall, and
ought to.
had lost more than love in that long abb
sence. Faith had departed. l had been
among the wiseacres of science who sheer at
the name of anything they cannot lay bare
with the scalpel, and had absorbed their ideas.
There was no life beyond the grave. The
devils Of doubt had entered my mind and
driven out the trust of my youth. 1t was
this that made my remorse bitter as / saw
my long neglected dead lowered into the
grave. There was no way TO atone for the
past The treasures whose value ! only now
knew had been taken from me.
They had been in their graves three days
when Easter Sunday came. Before l went
into The church stood long beside those mar
row mounds, trying to cast off the awful
weight from my heart. had brought daft
fodils, the resurrection flower" from the OLD
home garden, where they had struggled UNI
unaided into life. l laid them upon these
beds of death as a symbol of my remorse and
self abasement
How longed for the faith of former years, |
which would have made of them the symbols |
OF a life to comet Little Jeanie's grave. beside |
theirs with its white headstone, seemed TO me |
TO be separated from them by ages, not years. |
1t seemed 50 old, so old. Her memory, too,
bad grown 10 be dreanlike and unreal
like story we have heard, not an experience
we have lived. In the church sat through |
the Easter service, feeling like dulled, dased,